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- Herausgeber: Dragonfire Press
- Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
- Serie: Dragon Riders of Osnen
- Sprache: Englisch
Some souls never find rest.
Eldwin’s decision to bring a soul back from the island proved to be a costly mistake. Innocent people are dying, and the blame falls on his shoulders. Where magic and steel have been the answer before, now they are useless to stop the reign of terror.
But there is hope.
If Eldwin can find the hidden fortress of the Assembly, he just might get the help he needs. With more questions than answers, Eldwin’s time is running out.
Fans of Sarah K.L. Wilson’s Dragon School, Christopher Paolini’s Eragon and Anne McCaffrey’s Dragon Riders of Pern will feel right at home.
Wings of Terror is the fifth episode of the series Dragon Riders of Osnen.
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Seitenzahl: 113
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020
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Wings of Terror
Dragon Riders of Osnen Book 5
Richard Fierce
Copyright © 2020 by Richard Fierce
All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. All events portrayed in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form without the express permission of the publisher.
Cover design by germancreative
Cover art by Rosauro Ugang
Contents
“He’s been here.”
I looked up at Maren as she returned to our makeshift camp. The locals in the village were skittish around Sion, so I’d decided it was better to keep our distance. A small stream flowed nearby and provided a peaceful atmosphere, which was a radical change from the last few days.
“Another body?” I asked.
Maren offered a stiff nod and sat across from me at the cooking fire. I’d caught a few fish from the stream and they were nearly done. Sion was curled up in front of a large tree, her eyes watching us.
“Are you sure it was Demris? Ever since we lost his trail, we haven’t found any signs of his presence.”
“It was him,” Maren replied. “One of the villagers is a sorceress and cast a warding spell that forced him to flee. She described the green smoke.”
Maren was right. That was definitely him. The nightmarish image of the green smoke coming out of the ferryman’s mouth had been burned into my mind’s eye with glaring detail. I nodded but didn’t say anything. We sat quietly, but there was no silence. The fish meat sizzled and the stream babbled.
I grabbed onto the stick I’d impaled the fish on and lifted it off the fire and set it aside to let the meat cool. Once they weren’t too hot to eat, Maren and I ate our fill. I laid on the ground and propped my head upon a smooth rock I’d pulled from the stream.
“How long ago did he come through here?” I asked.
“A day and a half,” Maren replied. “The sorceress was shaken up. She said she put all of her strength into that spell and it almost wasn’t enough.”
“Did she know she was up against the soul of a dragon?”
“No, I don’t think so. I just don’t understand, Eldwin. He wouldn’t kill people without a reason.”
“Unless he’s gone rogue,” I said. “Maybe coming back from the island did something to him and he’s turned evil.”
“No,” Maren replied. She was adamant in her opinion that there was another reason for Demris’s actions, but I wasn’t so sure.
“If we don’t find him soon, we’re going to have other problems,” I said.
“What do you mean?”
“We’re far enough away that the Citadel probably won’t hear about this, but Katori is likely to hear about it if she hasn’t already. And considering she knows where we were going, she’ll probably come looking for answers. And for us.”
“So? We’ll tell her the truth,” Maren replied.
“We don’t know the truth. At least, not about Demris’s actions.”
“I know he’s not evil,” she said defensively.
“Maren, I get it. You were bonded to Demris, so you have a biased view of him. But you can’t stay blind. You need to realize that something has happened that made him change.”
“Stop it!” Maren shouted. “Just stop it, Eldwin! You don’t know that!”
Maren rose to her feet and stormed off into the woods. I sighed and looked at Sion.
What do you think? I asked her.
You make a valid argument, but Maren is still grieving. She needs more time before she will be open to what you say.
I know, I replied. Yet the longer it takes her to realize the truth, the more people will die because of Demris.
Maren knows this. It puts a burden on her, I’m sure.
I ground my teeth in frustration, but what else could I do? I couldn’t force Maren into seeing that something was wrong with Demris.
“She’ll see it when she’s ready,” I whispered.
Eventually, Maren returned to the camp. She remained aloof and didn’t make eye contact with me. I could tell she was still upset, so I didn’t try talking to her. Instead, we started breaking down our camp. I put the fire out and filled my canteen with water from the stream, then Maren and I mounted Sion.
“Head southwest,” Maren said. “The sorceress said Demris went in that direction.”
If you would, I told Sion.
She launched into the air, the wind from her powerful wings blowing the treetops around wildly. Sion ascended higher and higher, then leveled out and flew in the direction Maren had said. I considered the situation and there was one thing I couldn’t figure out. Whether Demris had turned evil or not, it didn’t make sense that he was staying in the area. He was moving from place to place, but he wasn’t heading toward the Citadel. If anything, he was traveling in a giant circle.
You wonder if he’s searching for something? Sion asked.
Yes, but what?
I’m not sure. He should be heading for his body.
That’s what I’ve been thinking. So why isn’t he? I asked.
Sion snorted in reply and continued flying. I turned my attention to the ground below and looked for signs of towns or villages. The time slid by and I traced my finger along the edges of Sion’s scales in boredom.
“Smoke ahead!” Maren shouted. She leaned against me and pointed to the right.
I spotted the smoke, too. It wasn’t green, but it was more than I would expect to see coming from a small settlement.
Take us down, I told Sion.
She banked right and descended. As we got lower, I could see a building was on fire and people were running.
“Demris might be here!” I shouted over my shoulder. “Get ready!”
Sion swooped down and landed outside the village. Maren leaped to the ground and sprinted to the building. I followed after her and glanced around, looking for green smoke. A man carrying a bucket full of water almost ran into me.
“Apologies!” The man called out as he continued past. I jogged to catch up with him.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Thomas set his own place on fire after something possessed his wife. We’re trying to put out the fire to keep it from spreading.”
I slowed my pace. The man reached the building and flung the water at the flames that spouted out of a window. Maren was nearby and lifted her hand. I could see her lips moving and guessed she was casting a spell. A moment later, my guess was confirmed as the flames died abruptly.
A woman staggered out of the structure and fell to her knees. Her flesh was badly burned and smoke wafted off her. Maren stepped closer to her, but she jumped back when the woman’s head shot back and her mouth opened in a silent scream. Green smoke poured out of her mouth.
“Do something!” I shouted at Maren.
She looked at me, then back at the smoke. Maren closed her eyes and began chanting. The smoke expanded and grew, taking a draconic shape. The details of the dragon’s face were skeletal and looked more like the dracolich we’d defeated than I cared to think about.
There was a bright flash of light from Maren’s hand, and Demris roared and tried to flee, but he was held in place. Maren’s face contorted with her concentration and she seemed to be struggling to keep Demris ensorcelled. There was nothing I could do to help except to keep the villagers away. The man who’d been carrying the bucket kept his distance and helped me keep the others from coming closer.
The woman Demris had possessed was lying on the ground. I wanted to help her, but I didn’t think it was wise to get that close until Maren had Demris under control. Maren cried out in anguish and the spell was broken. The strength of Demris’s color intensified and the surrounding buildings burst into flame, then he fled, shooting through the sky faster than anything I’d seen before.
“No!” Maren screamed.
The men and women I’d kept at bay rushed into the area, dousing the flames with buckets of water. I rushed to Maren and embraced her. Her body shook with her sobs.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I tried to keep him from leaving, but he was too strong.”
“It’s all right,” I said. “We’ll find him again.”
The villagers finished putting out the fires and dealt with the woman Demris had possessed, who was now dead. I released Maren and put my arm around her shoulder and led her out of the village. Sion was waiting for us.
I saw him escape, she said.
Unfortunately, Maren’s spell couldn’t keep him in place.
Are we going after him?
Did you see which way he went? I asked.
West.
I wish we knew what he was after. It would make it a little easier to track him.
The will of the dead is unknown, Sion replied.
I helped Maren up Sion’s shoulder and looked back at the village. The people were terrified, justifiably so, but until we could come back here and tell them that everything was safe again, I knew they would live in constant fear of Demris’s return. I joined Maren on Sion’s back and watched the village grow smaller as Sion ascended into the sky.
I knew Maren would probably hate me for it, but I decided that if we couldn’t stop Demris soon, I was going to fly to the Citadel and alert Anesko.
Iawoke suddenly.
The stars shone above me and I listened intently to my surroundings, trying to determine what roused me. A gentle wind was blowing, but otherwise, there was nothing out of the ordinary. I rolled onto my side and saw Maren was still asleep beside me. Her chest rose and fell rhythmically with her breathing. It was the most peaceful I’d seen her in days.
Sion was also asleep, but she stirred fitfully and growled. The bond flooded with her anxiety, but I quickly erected a mental barrier to keep it at bay. I got up, careful not to wake Maren, and walked over to Sion and rested a hand gently on her head. Her growling stopped, but she continued to twitch. I assumed she was having another nightmare about her days of being tortured by Rory and his wizard.
A clattering noise startled me, and I looked in the direction the sound had come from. We were in a heavily wooded area and it was difficult to see anything other than shadows. I retrieved my sword from where I’d been sleeping and unsheathed it, then headed toward the sound. It was likely a wild animal, but I wanted to be sure we had nothing to worry about.
I walked as quietly as I could, trying not to step too heavily. The clattering sound filled the air again and I paused. I could hear a voice muttering, but I wasn’t able to make out the words. I brought my sword up and peered around the thick trunk of a tree.
A shaft of moonlight poured through the canopy overhead, revealing a short figure stacking rocks in a pile. They were wearing a hooded robe and had their back to me. I glanced back to where Maren and Sion were. The sound still hadn’t awakened them. I turned back to the figure and slowly stepped out from behind the tree. I crept toward the person, my heart thumping inside my chest. When I was close enough to strike them, I placed the tip of my sword against their back.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
The figure froze and their robe fell to the ground, but there was no one there. I staggered back a few steps in surprise and looked around.
“Did you really think you could sneak up on me?”
I whirled around. An elderly woman stood there with her arms folded across her chest. She had long white hair and wore a collar with clear gemstones. Realization struck me and I recognized her as a member of the Assembly, though I couldn’t remember her name.
“I heard a noise and came to investigate,” I said. “I wasn’t sure who you were or what you were doing.”
“You mortals are always trying to interfere with the business of dragons,” the woman said.
“I wasn’t—”
“Never mind that. Do you know why you are here?”
“Do you mean why you are here?” I asked.
“No.”
We stared at each other in silence until it grew awkward.
“I’m sorry, I don’t remember your name.”
“Tyrval,” she said. “I remember yours, Eldwin.”
“Why are you here?” I asked.
“Because it was the only way I could reach you. Can you put that blade down?”
I lowered my sword. “Sorry. You came all the way here from the Island of Lost Souls to find me?”
“No, of course not. I’ve never been on that island.”
“Then how did I see you and the others when I was there?” I asked.
“You were brought to us,” Tyrval said.
“I’m confused.”
“Clearly,” Tyrval smirked.
“Funny,” I replied. “But I’m serious.”
